Knowing

Experiment Three

[a/n] I just have a little thing I'd like to try. Can you please comment w/ your favorite character? I just want to know which one is liked the best, and no, they don't have to be still living.

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When I woke up from my dreamless sleep, the granola bar wrappers were gone and two water bottles stood on the bench. The half full one from- was it yesterday?- lay on its side underneath. I took the caps off all of them and holding my arms through the bars, I dumped their contents outside of the cell. No more nanite spiked water for me. And even if it was real water, I could just die from dehydration, shrivel up like a prune. If I didn't drink any water, I'd be dead in a couple days. Nice.

It was hard to ignore my dry throat screaming for water, but I forced myself to empty the last bottle. I watched the water spill out if it and onto the ground. Some if it splashed back at me.

I kept the empty bottles and scattered them untidily around the cell and I licked my lips to give the appearance that I had just drank water.

I decided to lie on the bench. It wasn't a big improvement from the floor, but it was different.

I dozed off after a little bit. Then I woke up again and couldn't go back to sleep which gave me 'way too much time to think. I wondered what they had done with Blade's body. I pushed it from my mind. What about my parents? Were they still alive? Did they even know where I was? After all, they had worked for Shadow. But Shadow might have moved. I groaned. No one's coming, I reminded myself. Quit hoping.

Terra came in moments later. I hated how I was unable to keep track of time. Terra grabbed my arms, held them behind my back, and escorted me out if the cell. I tried to use my bionic strength, but strangely, it didn't seem to be working. I knew that I was using my strength but it wasn't affecting Terra in any way. Maybe she was bionic too. That was most likely the case.

She put her hand on the metal pad and the door swung open. Terra pushed me in and left.

As usual, Holt sat at her computer.

"How many days have I been here?" I asked, faking small talk.

"Two." She replied, not looking up.

"Oh, cool." I said casually. Then I lunged at her. Holt didn't even flinch. An invisible force zapped me backwards and I flew through the air.

"There is a sensor in the doorway," Holt said, typing madly on her laptop. What was she doing? "It detected the absence of nanites in your system so it put up the electric field."

"Are you saying that you're scared of me?"

Holt laughed. I hated when she did that. "No, it's merely a precautionary measure."

I didn't get anything from that except for Holt was safe from me and I couldn't attack her. Well now I was really depressed.

"Is Terra bionic?" I wondered, not expecting an answer, but Holt gave me one.

"Yes, she is."

"Well why don't you experiment on her instead?"

"Perhaps I wasn't entirely clear," Holt said thoughtfully. "You see, Terra is bionic, but she isn't human."

I raised my eyebrow, truly befuddled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Terra is an android." Holt answered smugly.

Oh, so Terra was half robot. No wonder she doesn't say much.

"So what's today's test?" I asked, rubbing my hands together. " 'Cause I'm looking forward to more pain and suffering."

"Mental." Holt said, snapping her laptop shut. "We're going to see how strong your mind can be before it- breaks."

I processed this. "So you're going to drive me insane?"

"No, just to the brink of insanity."

"Oh," I muttered. "And I thought it was going to be bad!"

The electric field must have disappeared because Holt put her hand between my shoulder blades and pushed me through the door.

Like earlier, it was entirely dark.

Then it changed. I was in a field of tall black grass that swayed with the strong wind. The sky was dark and starless. The field seemed to stretch forever.

I heard a scream and whirled around. Night was tied to a stake. And she was on fire. She helplessly thrashed around, trying to break loose from the ropes that bound her.

I ran to her and tugged at the ropes. There was no knot.

"Get me down!" Night cried. "Help!"

"I can't!" I pulled harder on the ropes.

The flames licked my hands and angry red burns appeared. I yanked them back.

Night screamed even louder. She was dying all over again. I resumed trying to pull the ropes away. I tried to ignore the pain but my hands and arm hurt too much. I had to stop. I had to let her die.

Night disappeared and this time it was Blade that was burning. He seemed to be unconscious and a trickle of blood ran down his face.

I turned and ran.

I ended up back in the lab room. Lined up against one wall was my mom, dad, Night, and Blade. They all seemed to be frozen in place, not literally.

Holt stood next to me, pressing a gun to my head.

"Shoot one."

A gun appeared in my hand. "What?"

"Pick one and kill them." She clarified.

I shook my head. "No."

"Then I will." Holt smirked. "Should it be your uncle, Blade?"

Bang! Hole in his head. Blade fell to the ground, bleeding heavily.

"Maybe your aunt, Night."

Bang! Two holes in her chest.

"How about your parents?"

Bang! Bang! A shot to each of their hearts.

"No!"I screamed. "Nooooo!"

Their blood flooded the room and swept me away in a wave of blood.

Then I was in the freezing ocean, struggling to stay afloat, my soaked clothes weighing me down.

A body surfaced next to me. Pale, blue, frozen, and dead, it was my mother. Her blue eyes were open and unseeing and her blonde hair floated around her face like a fan.

"No!" I screamed again. "Mom! Wake up! Mom!"

Then I was in a field, but this time the grass was short and green. The sky was gray with clouds so the sun could barely sneak a few rays through it.

I heard the caw of a crow behind me. Several crows.

I turned around to see a flock of crows pecking at an animal carcass. No, it was a human body. My dad.

I ran away screaming. I collapsed to the ground and curled up in a fetal position.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I repeated over and over. I started crying. Tears streamed down my face. I closed my eyes as if doing so would make everything go away.

"Zayne," Someone shook me. "Zayne."

I opened my eyes. I was back in the dark room. Terra was shaking me. She picked me up again and carried me from the room. She tossed me into my cell. The water bottles were gone. This time there was a thin, fleece blanket. I curled it around me and huddled under the bench.

I wondered if Shadow really learned anything from that, or if it was just to torture me.

Maybe both.